Law Or Love?

“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,^[a]but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
-Luke 11:42 (NLT)


Yesterday, we looked at how the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus' time, carried on an outward appearance of being righteous, but on the inside, they were dirtier than dirty. Verse 42 of Luke 11 shows Jesus still declaring where the Pharisees are going wrong. Remember, the Pharisees, the religious leaders, were the very people who others regarded as being righteous. Others, no doubt, followed their lead, their example. If they had it wrong, then so did everyone else. That is why I always tell you about the importance of studying the Bible outside church. While church attendance is of utmost importance, studying your Bible, having that quiet time with God, allowing Him to teach you His Word is just as important. By knowing your Word, you'll be able to spot a false teacher or false preacher.


Verse 42 says, “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." The Pharisees were concerned with being obedient to the entire Law of God. That's a good thing. We, too, must be obedient to the teachings and commands of Jesus. We can not pick and choose what commands or teachings we will follow. It's all or nothing. While the Pharisees tried to follow even the tiniest detail, they missed the big picture. Look at the words of Jesus. "For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God." Again, it's all or nothing. They were obedient to the "T" as far as tithing their income is concerned. But the were not obedient when it comes to love for others, or justice for others. Let's look at an example.


We read the story of the woman caught in adultery, in the very act of it. John 8:1-11 reads, "Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, ² but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. ³ As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ⁴ “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” ⁶ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. ⁷ They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” ⁸ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. ⁹ When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ¹⁰ Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” ¹¹ “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” Jesus didn't look at the letter of the law, He looked at the person. Verses 4-5 says, "'Teacher,' they said to Jesus, 'this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" They were not looking for Jesus to give them an answer, they wanted to trap Jesus. Jesus knew what the law of Moses said was the penalty of adultery. But, Jesus was more concerned with love. Yes, He could have picked up a stone and stoned her, but instead, He showed love, the love of God. Verses 6-7 says, "They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" You see, we are all sinners, Jesus knows that. No sin is worse than any other. All sins mean the same things, that we are separated from God. If they were going to stone this woman for her sin, then each and every person at the scene would have to be stoned for their sin as well. Jesus challenged the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law to look beyond the law, and into the person. Verses 10-11 says, "Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, 'Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?' 'No, Lord,' she said. And Jesus said, 'Neither do I. Go and sin no more.'" Would Jesus have been right to lead in the stoning of this woman. Yes, because she broke the law. The fact is, each and everyone of us has broken the law, and we deserve death. But, Jesus looks at us, and demonstrates the love of God by paying for our sins. 


Jesus challenged the Pharisees' lifestyle by challenging them to look beyond the law and look to the person. Are you more concerned with keeping the letter of the law, or showing true love, the love of God, to others? Think About It.